Discipline! Discipline! Discipline!

When I speak to writers' groups and meet aspiring authors, I frequently hear them complain about not being able to find the time to write. If writing is important enough to you, you must MAKE the time. Period. If you can't find the time to write, then it is certainly not a passion. If it were, you would employ the necessary time management skills to make it happen.

I remember reading an article about Texan billionaire, H. L. Hunt. The interviewer asked him to identify the "secret of success." The billionaire replied: "It is two-fold. First, you have to identify exactly what it is that you want. And secondly, you have to decide what you're willing to give up to get it."

It is that last part that is most telling. You can't just add a writing session into an already busy day. You need to make choices. Something has to go. For me, I give up lunch. I'm not saying that I don't eat exactly. At midday, I walk to the local library and write. When I return to my office, I eat a quick sandwich at my desk while I work. And at night, I give up late night TV. At 10:30, I head to my home office and I write until midnight. In both cases, I needed to sacrifice something in order to find quality writing time.

You must find the time to write every day. Set aside fifteen minutes to start. Then each week, add five minutes. Do so until you're writing an hour each day. And don't skip a day. If you do, it will be easier to do so the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that...

If you're serious about your craft, then give yourself every opportunity to succeed. It's all about discipline...discipline...discipline.